o connor



day of December, 1889, that the fastener may JAMES L. OCONNOR, OF NEWYORK, N. Y.

HAME-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,842, dated October3, 1893. Application filed November 14, 1890. Serial No. 371,484. (Nomodel.)

prove the hames fastener, for which Patent No. 416,852 was granted to meon the 10th be more readily and securely closed, and more easily opened,as hereinafter fully described, and also, by adding a hook to the saidfastener so that the breast strap and martingales may be readily andsecurely attached thereto.

Figure 1. is a side view of my newly improved hames fastener, showingthe strap 0, d, partly in section. Fig. 2. is a sectional view of thebody of the same, andillustrates its accompanying mechanism. Fig. 3. isan end View of the same. Fig. 4. is a bottom View of the whole hamesfastener. Fig. 5. is a detail view of the latch spring more fullyhereinafter described.

In the drawings, a, designates the body of the fastener, which is formedwith the hook b, the lug 7a, and the notch i. To this is pivoted thelever f, as illustrated. To this lever f, are pivoted the hook e, thelatch 71, with the thumb piece, m, which thumb piece is integral withsaid latch. The latch spring n, which is held in place by the latchpivot, pressing with one end upon the thumb piece m, and with the otherupon the lever f, by its resilience constantly tends to hold the tine h,of the latch, in the notch 43 of the body. The strap c,which is formedwith the hook d, and the slots 0, passes through the body of the buckleto be bound by the mechanism as hereinafter described.

To use my invention, the hooks b, and d, are placed in the lower eye ofthe hames one on either side. The strap 0, is then pushed into the bodya, so far that the hames will not fall off the collar until the fasteneris secured.

Next having brought the lever f, nearly perpendicular to the strap, thehook e, is inserted into one of the slots 0'. The lever f, is then bentdownward toward the hook 17, until the tine h, of the latch h, snapsinto the notch o" of the body a. It will then be found that by reason ofthe hook e, being pivoted away from the fulcrum of the lever f, theoperation just described, will have carried the strap 0, so far into thebody a, that the hames will be drawn snugly into their places, and thelugs f, and is, each resting in a slot of the strap 0, will hold saidstrap and body securely in their places. The ring of the breast strap,and of the martingales may now be put on the book 2'. These rings arecommonly made wider at the outer ends to allow for the wear of friction.It will be necessary therefore to turn them a little sidewise to getthem on the hook 2', which projects up so near the collar as to requireit. In use, on the horse, these are never so turned, by the motions ofthe animal or of the vehicle. It will therefore be found, in use, thatthe breast strap and martingale rings will not come out of the said hook1', because the parts which come to the narrow throat formed by thepoint of said hook, and the contiguous wall of the collar, are not smallenough to pass through.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination with the body and sliding strap, of a hames fastener,of the lever f, pivoted to said body, the hook e, pivoted away from thefulcrum on said lever, the lug f upon said hook, the latch h, alsopivoted to said lever, the thumb piece m, and tine h, integral with saidlatch, the spring n, .arranged between said thumb piece, and said leverand the notch i, into which the tine h, of said latch is adapted to fit,all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination in a hames fastener with a body, and sliding slottedstrap substantially as specified, of a lever pivoted to said body, ahook pivoted to said lever a short distance from its fulcrum, andadapted to catch into the slots of said strap, a lug upon said hook,also adapted to fit into the slots in said strap, a latch having a thumbpiece and tine, substantially as described, also pivoted .to said lever,said tine adapted to fit into a notch in said body, said notch, and aspring In testimony that I claim the foregoing as adapted and arrangedto hold said latch with my invention I have hereto signed my name 10 itstine in said notch, and a hook integral in presence of two Witnesses.

with said body adapted to receive and retain I the martingale and breaststrap rings, and a O CONNOR lug integral with said body adapted and ar-Witnesses:

ranged to fit into the slots of said strap, all sub- FREDERICK MCDONALD,

stantially as and for the purpose set forth. J. WHITTLE.

